223 - U2 - War

U2's anthemic style of driving rhythms with the wandering melodic drones of guitar or synth accompanying Bono's hollered vocals is in full force on War. It is hard for me to fight the urge to march, pump my fist, or otherwise get riled up from the driving beat of most of these songs. I frequently found myself starting the album, bopping along to the songs, and the next thing I knew...the album was done. For the most part, I think this has to do with the fact that there's not a big variety with these songs - it is mostly anthems. A listener is likely to get right into the groove and love it or just get worn out from the relentless rhythmic drive and Bono's emotional wailing.

Songs I Knew I Liked: "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "New Year's Day," "Two Hearts Beat As One"

Songs I Now Like: "Surrender"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: "Drowning Man" - it's not a bad song, but it was such a change of pace in the midst of the other tracks that it became a song I skipped on later listens. For whatever reason, "40" didn't suffer from its slower tempo like "Drowning Man."

222 - Professor Longhair - New Orleans Piano

Here's another compiliation on the list. Thankfully, it is a short one-disc collection. Released in 1972, New Orleans Piano contains music originally recorded in 1949 and 1953 by Professor Longhair. The music on this collection fits into the primordial rock and roll stew - part New Orleans jazz, part blues, part boogie. It doesn't take much imagination to see how Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis evolved after giving Professor Longhair a listen.

Songs I Knew I Liked: None

Songs I Now Like: "In the Night" and "Mardi Gras in New Orleans"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: Most of the music I enjoy as background and, yet, I didn't feel compelled to skip any songs when I was paying attention to the tracks.